Quick-opening can top



Patented May 28, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,002,564 QUICK-OPENING CAN TOP Application July 7, 1934, Serial No. 734,151

2 Claims.

This invention relates to quick-opening can tops of paper or the like, preferably of a cylindrical type, which are frequently used for packing ice cream, coffee, and the like.

5 In order to be an eflicient top it must necessarily quite closely t the can' which it surrounds. One diiculty in handling this type of can and top is that because of this close t air trapped between the can and the top prevents the top from being readily assembled on the can when the can is filled. v

An object of this invention is to provide a can top which will slip on easily and still be tight when assembled.

Another and more serious difficulty arises when the attempt is made to quickly remove the top, particularly when it is filled with a hot liquid like coffee. The coffee sloppingover forms an anditional seal between the top and the can so that air enters the space between the top and the contents with considerable difficulty. This is aggravated by the fact that the coee being hot has a tendency to soften the sides of the can, which is usually made of a fairly heavy oil lor wax impregnated paper, so that the operator is very likely to scald himself in removing such a. top, particularly if he is so situated thatl he has no flat object on which he can set the can while the top is being removed.

It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide such a can top which can be readily removed. Thisand other objects, as will hereinafter appear, are accomplished by this invention which is fully described in the following specication and shown in the accompanying drawing,

- in "whichf Figure 1 is a perspective view of a shallow can with my quick-opening can top;

Fig'. 2 shows the first operation of removing my can top;

Fig. 3 shows the can top torn away so that it can be readily removed from the can;

Fig. 4 is a partial vertical section on the line 4---4l of Fig. 1;

Fi. 5 is a similar section on the line 5-5 of Fig.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a-can having a top which is a modified form of the invention; and FiFig3. 7 is a view of modified form'similar to The embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive comprises a cylindrical `can I0 which v'is preferably made from spirally wound paper strips, and which has a bottom I I secured therein in any well known manner, together with a top A which is preferably made up of a disk I2 and a surrounding flange or apron I3, the latter being adapted to closely fit over the top of the cylindrical can. The apron, like the can body, is preferably made from a tube which is made by spirally winding heavy paper in a manner Well known in this art.

The apron is provide with one or more slits or slot's I4 which runs with the grain of the fibrous material, of which the apron is made, so that an 10 operator can insert his thumb nail B, or any other sharp object, in the slit causing it to break, as shown in Fig. 2, after which the end I5 thus separated can be grasped by the thumb and finger and pulled outwardly and around to the position l5 of the fiap I6 of Fig. 3, at which time it will be observed that the space II above the can is open to the atmosphere, thereby enabling air to rush in as the cap is lifted. The operator will now experience no diiiiculty in lifting the top by pulling upward on the torn flap I6 and in completely removing the top from the can without any danger of spilling' its contents even when held in the hand.

This slot I4 also relieves air pressure due to trapping air in the upper part of the top, thereby making it easier to assemble the top on the can.

In Fig. 6 is shown a modified form of the cap which is constructed as before, except that the apron I3a has a slit Ida which Vextends to the edge of the apron instead of being enclosed entirely within the apron as in Fig. 1. This can top is removed by the operator taking hold of the end I5el and pulling it up and around to the position of the ap llia of Fig. 7.

It will thus be seen that both of these can tops provide means for readily removing the top from a can and one which at the same time adds substantially nothing to the cost of the container.

While I have shown and described but. a few embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes, therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in the appended claims.

4I claim:

1. In combination with a cylindrical container, a cap consisting of a center portion and a cylindrical flange depending therefrom and formed of fibrous material with the grain running diagonally from the rim of the cap flange and upwardly toward the line of juncture of the flange with the center; the iiange having formed therein a diagonally extending slot running with the grain from a point near but inside of the rim of the flange to a point below the said line of juncture and below the upper edge of the container with which the cap is associated, the slot affording a tapering end portion adjacent thereto adapted to have its tip broken free from the rim of the cap flange to afford a grasping tab adapted to facilitate the tearing of the grain beyond the slot to loosen the cap for removal.

2. In combination with a cylindrical container, a cap consisting of a center portion and a cylindrical ange depending therefrom and formed of fibrous material with the grain running diagonally from the rim of the cap ange and upwardly toward the line of juncture of the fiange with the center, the flange having formed therein a diagonally extending slot-like aperture running with the grain from a point near but inside of the rim of the flange to a point below the said line of juncture and below the upper edge of the container with which the cap is associated, the slotlike aperture aiording a tapering end portion adjacent thereto adapted to have its tip broken free from the rim of the cap flange to afford a grasping tab adapted to facilitate the tearing of the grain beyond the slot-like aperture to loosen the cap for removal.

RENOLD BERGMAN. 

